Will (Ruby’s dad) put his exceptional wood working skills to use to create a wonderful gate for the Children’s House Garden. Delphine, Gabriel (4) and Romain (7) joined Elaine and Michael at the garden today. Romain watered the garden beds and weeded. Gabriel used the hand rake to move back the wood-chips to allow access to the weeds. Then Gabriel would pick up the discarded weeds in his wheelbarrow. Michael and Delphine worked on putting up the fence and string for the peas. Delphine taught Elaine and Michael the French words for the plants and learned the English words. Our Cambodian neighbor shared lettuce plants for transplant and we gladly put them in our garden bed.
Another neighbor offered us rhubarb that volunteered in their plot. Michael used to make his Aussie mom’s recipe of strawberry and rhubarb compote, and serve it with the homemade banana coconut ice cream the children made last week. The children removed the leaves, and peeled the stalks of the rhubarb and cut them up. We then cooked it up with water, fresh strawberries, and added pineapple for sweetness, fresh mint from the school planter, and a squeeze of lemon to brighten it up. There weren’t a lot of takers when it was chunky, so we blended it into a sauce that was put on ice-cream. The leaves then became art-room and science fascination, with children measuring, then painting and using the leaves to make prints, and at the same time practice their letters.
